


First Contact

by mage_cat



Series: Home, not Homeworld [3]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-20
Updated: 2015-12-20
Packaged: 2018-05-08 00:19:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5476001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mage_cat/pseuds/mage_cat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Peridot has been on Earth for a while now, but she hasn't met any full humans yet. Steven arranges for Connie to be the first one she does. Takes place around the time of "Variation on the Petal Thing."</p>
            </blockquote>





	First Contact

Connie shifted the phone receiver to her other ear. “I still can’t believe how quick you are to forgive Peridot. I mean, she tried to kill you.”

“Well,” Steven replied, “she kinda thought we were trying to do the same to her, so it wouldn’t really be fair to hold that against her. Plus, she did help us save the planet.”

“Wasn’t that only after she tried, like, everything she could to get off the planet first?”

The Gems had already had this conversation, so Steven knew how to sum up his argument. “She was scared, and it’s not like the Cluster was her idea. I know I wouldn’t want to be held responsible for something somebody else did, even if they did tell me to look in on it later.”

“I guess you have a point.” Connie, after all, hadn't been the one led into deathtraps or kidnapped. Who was she to hold Peridot's former actions against her if Steven didn't?

“Good, because I want you to be the first human Peridot meets.”

“What? Why?”

“You’re more comfortable with Gem stuff than just about anyone else, and you’re smart enough to follow all the weird stuff Peridot says, and you’re nice, and I think she freaks out more easily around people who are bigger than her.”

“I guess it’s not like I wasn’t going to be coming over for sword practice tomorrow anyway, but the idea of being an alien’s first contact with humanity makes me nervous.”

“Don’t worry. We’ve already introduced her to a bunch of Earth stuff, so it’s not like you’re starting from square one.”

“See you tomorrow then.”

* * *

It had been established several months before that there wasn't any need for Connie to knock when visiting, especially when she was expected, so she simply let herself in before resting her backpack and Rose's sword against the wall by the door. Once her hands were free, she quickly found herself lacing her fingers together nervously as the two people sitting on the couch looked up.

“Connie! Your here!” Steven quickly put his book down and rushed to meet her.

It wasn't hard for Connie to figure out who the other person, who had been fiddling with something vaguely mechanical, was. No human had a coloration composed completely of greens and yellows. She liked to think that a lifetime of reading about elves and extraterrestrials had made her open-minded, but encountering new things, new people in this case, from Steven's world still took a second to mentally adjust to. At least Peridot seemed as nervous as Connie felt as she hesitated before putting her project down and walking over.

Steven her told Connie that Peridot was small, but it was still odd to actually see that the Gem was almost exactly her size. Sure, she was also roughly eye level was Amethyst too, but the purple Gem was also almost twice her bulk. At a quick glance, Connie had the fleeting thought that Peridot could fit in Connie's clothes. She put a lid on that thought before it went anywhere silly.

Steven went through the formalities of making introductions. “Peridot, this is my friend Connie. Connie, this is Peridot.”

“It's nice to finally meet you,” Connie said as she stuck out her hand. When Peridot began to stare at the gesture in confusion, Connie realized this might not have been something Steven had explained yet. “Oh, um. Shaking hands is a common human greeting. It dates back to when a lot of people would walk around armed. By demonstrating that the hand in which we would hold a weapon is empty, we show that this is intended to be a friendly meeting. Nowadays it’s safe to assume that anyone you meet will be unarmed, but the custom has stuck around.” She kept her hand extended.

Peridot's smile turned slightly less nervous as she reached her hand out. “That might be the most logical explanation of someone's behavior I've heard since I arrived on this planet.”

Connie gripped Peridot's hand and gave it a quick, firm shake. “Lots of things make more sense when you know the history behind them. It’s one of the reasons I like reading so much. Oh! That reminds me.” She let go and reached for her bag. “Steven told me that you didn’t know much about Earth, and the library was holding a book sale, so I found a lot of things you might find useful for cheap.” She began to place some half dozen books on the coffee table. “Earth geology. Human biology. I also found stuff on mineralogy, engineering, and electronics. I’m sure you already know most of what’s in those, but I thought you might want to familiarize yourself with how the subjects are understood on this planet and the materials you’ll have use of. I’m sure an Earth computer works differently than whatever Gem-tech you’re used to using.”

Steven had introduced Peridot to this piece of Earth informational technology called “books”, but the only one she had found informative so far had been his dictionary. A quick flip through the top volume showed her informational diagrams of a variety of Earth devices, most of which she had only seen from the outside so far. “These will be useful. I appreciate it. Is there something I should do in return?”

“Consider them a thank you for helping save Earth. They would be pretty useless if you hadn’t. You know, if they had survived the planet blowing up in the first place.”

“Thank you. By the way, if I say or do something rude, please tell me. I’m finding the expectations of social interactions on this planet very confusing, but I really do want to learn to do better.”

Connie sat on the couch. “You’re doing fine so far. Is Gem etiquette really so different?”

“In my experience,” Peridot said as she sat next to her, “it's mostly knowing what not to say to your superiors. I was never given any reason to behave in any particular way with my fellow technicians, but one time I was… overly blunt, telling the Topaz that I was working under that the schematics she had given me were flawed. I got assigned to nothing but cleaning injectors for two hundred years after that.”

“Wow, I thought my mom and dad were strict.”

“What are a 'mom' and 'dad' anyway? Steven tried to explain, I gather that his experience is non-standard, and it inhibits his ability to articulate the concepts properly.”

At mention of Steven, Connie noticed he had wandered off. A look up told her he was observing from the loft where his bed was. He gave her a brief nod. Clearly, he felt she was handling things. She looked back to Peridot. “Well, it takes two humans to make a new human,” Connie blushed for a moment, “that biology book can explain the process better than I can. Once the child is born, the parents, that's the mom and dad, have a responsibility to ensure that the child reaches maturity. The process takes about eighteen years. My parents see to my safety and physical needs until I can provide them for myself and guide my education so that I will be equipped to find my place in society as an adult.”

“And what place do 'Connies' have in human society?”

“Okay, first, human names don't work that way. My name was chosen by my parents for me at birth and identifies me, but doesn't designate me for any given job. Second, my job will be my choice, based on my interests, talents, and the needs of society once I reach adulthood.”

“Sounds confusing. I'm used to the expectations on myself and those around me being clearly defined. The amount of… freedom beings on this planet have is somewhat unsettling at first.”

Connie smiled, her parents had had very defined expectations for _her_ too. “Yeah, freedom can be scary, but the idea that I could live my whole life without really _living_ is way scarier to me.”

“How long do humans live anyway? I know it's not as long as Gems, no biological life does, but...” Peridot's voice drifted off, unsure how to finish the statement.

“The average is around eighty years.”

Peridot's eyes widened. “And you spend a quarter of that just reaching maturity?”

“I guess that's why humans value freedom so much. When you know your days are numbered, you want to live as much life as you can in them. I want to make a difference and have some fun doing it. I feel like I've done way more living in the year I've known Steven than in the ten years before it.” A question had been nagging at the back of Connie's mind. “Had you really only spent time with other technicians before you came to Earth?”

“For most of my life I had. I've been assigned to more specialized missions in the last few centuries that have required more diverse interactions. Some of those turned out better than others. My first assignment like that included an Onyx getting it into her head to make some sort of example of me.” Peridot paused for a moment. “Her superior chewed her out over it. Quartzes work under some sort of honor code that I do not really understand, but the Onyx was in breach of it. Afterward that officer frequently acted as an intermediary on my behalf. It was a generally functional professional relationship when required. Still, one of the reasons I was assigned to the Cluster was that it wouldn't require me to interact with any actual people.”

“A lot of warrior cultures develop codes of honor, though the details vary.”

“And you are training as a warrior under Pearl?”

“Well, I'm training as a lot of things until I decide what suits me best, but yes. Pearl is teaching me how to use a sword.”

As if on cue, the Temple door opened and Pearl walked out. “Oh good, Connie, you're here. Are you ready for practice?”

“Yes ma'am,” she replied as she went to retrieve Rose's sword.

Pearl looked up. “Are you ready, Steven?”

“Coming!” he said as he came downstairs. He paused in front to Peridot. “I knew you and Connie would be good friends.”

“You are very perceptive in such matters.” She looked at Connie, who smiled back. “I look forward to talking with you again.”

“Me too.”

As Pearl and her students warped to wherever they would be practicing, Peridot began a closer examination of the books Connie had brought. This “book” technology wasn't as efficient as her old screens, but she was glad for the information, and maybe even more for the new friendship the objects represented.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry, all, for the long wait again. There were ideas that I really wanted to plant in this one, but I kept worrying that the final product was, well, kinda boring. Up next is when things will get more interesting for both me to write and, I hope, y'all to read. Let's see how much writing I can do in two weeks before the next Stevenbomb blows up all my theories.


End file.
